The greening of Neil Kelly; Tom Kelly believes the future lies with the natural step.(Neil Kelly Co.)

Tom Kelly figures he eventually would've gone to work for the Neil Kelly Co. even if he hadn't wrecked his father's car.

What happened was this: The young Kelly was out driving the old man's car around, and accidently totaled it. His father, the company's founder and namesake, told Tom he didn't have insurance on him. In order to pay him back, Pop Kelly said, Tom would have to work the debt off.

Only years later did his father admit to him that he'd lied about not having insurance coverage on his son. By that time, Tom was president of the remodeling and design company - and he'd long since gotten hooked on working there.

Today, he's moving Neil Kelly Co. in what some in the business might think is a gutsy direction. The fellow who started out learning the business as a laborer, a cabinet maker, a truck driver and so on is carefully turning Neil Kelly green - as in eco-friendly.

Already the largest remodeler in the region, Kelly doesn't want to grow too big, or ever move from Northeast Portland. He equates an eco-minded conscience with successful …